2 ms·

I think boarding was covered in Freakanomics. Column boarding is technically fastest, but too impractical to coordinate. Just letting everyone randomly line u

• thaumasiotes 7y ago
  > Just letting everyone randomly line up and enter the plane turns out to be the most efficient practical method, but no airlines do that. Doesn't Southwest do that?
  • sib 7y ago
    Southwest's "lining up" process is not random; you get an assigned position in the line according to a set of factors. Once you start boarding, each person can sit in any seat that s/he wants.
    • sjg007 7y ago
      It's psuedo-random based on when you get your boarding pass (starting 24 hours). Essentially the quest for a non-middle seat conditional on distance to the front door.
• stephen_g 7y ago
  Most Australian airlines just let people randomly board, apart from letting priority passengers (disabled, business class, gold and platinum frequent flyers) board first. It does perplex me when I travel to other countries and experience complicated systems with boarding groups etc. that never seem any better than the random method!